The movie is not only a very funny comedy with excellent children and adult actors, but a perfect parody of Soviet life, of the relationship between society and Soviet power. The leader of the camp is so stupid and suspicious, that he turns people one by one to "resistance fighters", living in "illegality". The ordinary "citizens" of the camp don't know who is the informer, but they do their best to help the persecuted ones. In the beginning of the 1960's, Khrushtchev suddenly let to publish one of Solzhenitsyn's books, and to make movies like this -- and then the short springtime was over, and the bold masterpieces like these were buried for the next 25 years under the gigantic heap of dull books and films.

Viktor Kosykh did not want to play Marat, because according to the script he must jump naked in the nettle. "For those days it was almost pornography! - remember the actor. "The girls would laugh at school."
The boy's fears were dispelled just before he left for Aleksin (where the pictures were taken): "When the bus was already moving, I leaned out of the window and asked Klimov, who saw us off:" Elem Germanovich, who I will play: Kostya or Marat? "He shouts to me:" Kostya, Kostya! "And I, pleased, went. I hadn't to jump naked in the nettle, so there will not be this pornography. "
But Viktor Kosykh had to bare himself on the shooting ot the film, however. This happened in the scene when Kostya Inochkin, crossing the river, squeezes his panties with his nude bottom to the camera. For these naked boyish bottoms Klimov was very scolded. Critics were not clear - why strip the guys naked? For example, they should have climbed in nettles with shorts on.
According to the actor, these reproaches are completely unfounded: "They do not just climb into nettles, but to get a rash. It would be strange if the rash covered only decent places! Therefore, he say to Marat: "And take off your cowards too!" So that no one suspects anything. "
Klimov still managed to defend the obvious need for nudity . The picture came to the screens without cuts.(http://www.peoples.ru/art/cinema/actor/viktor_krovavyi/interview.html)... more